Take-up device for flexible conductors



April 12, 1938. A, MOKESSON TAKE-UPJDEVI CB FOR FLEXIBLE CONDUCTORS I Filed Sept. 24. 1937 Patented Apr. 12, 1938 "UNITED/STATES 'PAQTENTOFFICE' TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE CONDUC- TORS Albert McKesson, Chicago, Ill. Application September 24, 1937, Serial No. 165,467

8 Claims. ('1. 24s-51) This invention relates to take-up devices de- "Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device, also .signed mainly for use in connection with elecshowing an electric flat iron and ironing board in tric appliances for taking up the slack in the flexdotted outline. ible electric conductors when such appliances Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partlyin section and 5 are in use. partly in elevation and broken out between its Electric appliances, such as flat irons and other ends, of the device and the upper portion of the hand tools, are commonly provided with flexible support. conductors or cords of suflicient length to per- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing in full mit free movement of the appliance over the work lines an upwardly swung posit-ionof the rear end or to its different. points of application. The of the sheath and the portion of the cord lying 10 slack in the cord i ft n a s ur of annoyance therein, and'in dotted lines a horizontal position to the cperator because it permits the cord to of said parts, and

drag along the working surface, gets in the way Fig. 4 is an end elevation as viewed from the of the tool, and thus interferes with the work left of Fig. 2, with the cord omitted.

and sometimes damages the cord and the work. In the embodiment of the invention herein il 15 In devices of this character it has been customlustrated, the device is shown as an automatic ery to provide a bracketor .stand that may be take-up for the flexible electric conductor cord clamped at its lower end on an edge of the ironof a flat, iron Ill operating on an ironing board ing board or other work support and at its up- II. The heating current is supplied to the iron per end pivotally supports an extensible spring through a flexible cord or conductor l2 having coil that formsa sheath for the cord, this exten- .a plug I3 atone end for attachment to the cussile and contractile sheath operating automatiternary socket and having a plug at its other cally to prevent the formation of slack in the cord end for attachment to the iron I0. as the tool is moved from and toward the sup- The conductor cord I2 extends througha flexporting bracket, ible and extensible sheath which, in the instance It is also customary in devices of this charshown, consists of three endwlse connected coil acter to form the flexible sheath in two endwlse spring sections, namely, a main intermediate secconnected sections, the rear section being comtion 15 of considerable length and a high degree paratively long and of light, easily stretchable of stretchability, a rear section Hiof heavier and 33 wire, and the forward section being comparastiffer wire formed with a flaring rear end I6 tively short and of considerably stiffer and heavie and a forward section II, also of heavier and i wire, s'tifier wire, the forward end of which is attached 7 A typical example of a take-up device answerto the plug l4. Themanner and means of coning the above description is disclosed in my necting these sections will be described later.

former Patent No. 1,943,134 dated January 9, The rear section 16 of the sheath is pivotally 1934. supported on an upright bracket which is struc- Among the objects of the present invention turally closely similar to that disclosed in my are, first, to provide an improved pivotal mountformer Patent 1,943,134, and comprises a clamp ing of the sheath on its stationary support, which l8 adapted to engage with an edge of the board 40 will aiiord a practically universal joint readily II and having on its upper end a curled portion. permitting up and down as well as horizontal l9 and a post 0 having its lower end bent at a swing of the cord and its sheath and will preright angle and entered in the curled portion l9 'vent accidental detachment especially under up of the bracket as a bearing, so that the post 20, and down swinging movement; second, to prowhen not in use, can be folded down on and cross- -i5 vide a substantially improved take-up device for wise of the board II as shown in dotted lines in flexible conductors that can be made and sold Fig. 1. at less cost than such conductors now known and The upper end of the post 20 is shaped to proon the market. vide a narrow annular lip 2|, best shown in Fig.

Still other objects and attendant advantages 2. The outer end coil of the flaring section I6 5 of the present improvement will be apparent to of the sheath is continued as best shown in Fig. 4 persons familiar with devices of this character to form a small auxiliary coil 22 whose axis is at from the following detailed description taken in a right angle to the axis of the main coil or connection with the accompanying drawing in sheath. This coil 22 underlies .the flaring seewhich I have illustrated an illustrative embodition [6' and encircles the upper end portion of ment of the invention and whereinthe post 20 with capacity of rotation on the latter. In assembling, the post 20 can be pushed through the coil 22 from beneath, the limbs of the coil spreading sufliciently to permit passage of the lip 2|, and, of c ourse, the coil 22 is prevented from dropping or sliding down the post 20 by reason of its integral connection to the end section l6 of the main sheath coil. Where, as in the construction of my former patent above identified, the pivotal connection with the post 20 was through a pin entering a socket in the upper end of the post, the pin would sometimes jump out of its socket thus breaking the connection under an upward swinging movement of the conductor cord and its sheath. In the present construction this cannot happen, since the lip 2| forms a stop that arrests the upward movement of the coil 22 when the sheath is swung upwardly as clearly shown in full line position, Fig. 3. However. by grasping the coil Hi with one hand and the post 20 with the other and pulling them apart, the post. and coil 22 can be separated.

Referring now to the means herein'shown for connecting or coupling the meeting ends of the sections of the sheath,'these meeting ends are connected by screwing one onto the other so that the coils interengage, the outer coils being seated on and between the inner coils, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. One practical way of effectihg this is to mount the coils such as "5 or II on a rapidly rotating mandrel. The meeting end of the coil I5 is then held against rotation and simulta neously pressed against the end of the rotating coil, whereby the two are screwed together into relatively overlapping and internested engagement. Before this is done, however, a sleeve such as 23 is slipped over the coil I5, and afterthe end portions of the two coils have thus been interengaged, the sleeve is slipped back over the relatively overlapping coils, and is then punch pricked at diametrically opposite points to form on the internal suriace'of the sleeve small teeth 24 that biteinto the nested coils, and thus prevent endwise displacement of the sleeve, which latter serves to prevent any springing of the outer coil away from the inner coil. This forms a very simple, strong and secure connection or coupling, and may be used to connect the intermediate section [5 to both of the end sections I6 and I1.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered without departing from the spirit and principle of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In'a device of the class described, the combination with a cord, a coil spring sheath for said cord, and a supporting bracket, of means for swiveling said sheath on said bracket consisting of an auxiliary coil continuous with said sheath encircling and rotatable on said bracket.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cord, a coil spring sheath for said cord, and a supporting bracket, of means for swiveling said sheath on said bracket consisting of an auxiliary coil continuous with and extending axially at an angle to said sheath encircling and rotatable on said bracket.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cord, a coil spring sheath for said cord, and a supporting post, of means for swivel- 7 ing said sheath on said post consisting of an auxiliary coil continuous with one end of said sheath and extending axially at a right angle to the latter and embracing and rotatable on the upper end portion of said post.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cord, a coil spring sheath for said cord, and a supporting post, of means for swiveling said sheath on said post consisting of an auxiliary coil continuous with one end of said sheath and extending axially at a right angle to the latter and embracing and rotatable on the upper end portion of said post, and means for locking said auxiliary coil against displacement from said post under swinging movements of said sheath.

5. A specific embodiment of claim 4 wherein the coil locking means consists of an annular lip on the upper end' of the post sufllciently narrow to be pushed through the coil but forming a stop to prevent displacement of the coil from the post under swinging movements of the sheath.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cord, of a coil spring sheath for said cord formed with a flaring end, a supporting post, and means for swiveling said sheath on said post consisting of an auxiliary coll continuous with the outermost coil of said flaring end encircling and rotatable on said post.

7. A specific embodiment of claim 6 wherein the auxiliary coil extends axially at a right angle to the axis of said flaring end.

8. A specific embodiment of claim 6 wherein the auxiliary coil extends axially at a right angle to the axis or said flaring end, and the post has a narrow annular lip above the coil forming a stop to prevent displacement of the latter from the post under swinging movements of the sheath.

ALBERT MCKESSON. 

